IV. The father being dead and gone, The unkle then contrived To make the child's estate his own, And of its life deprive it. A wicked thought came in his head, And thus concludes to serve it; He takes it up out of the bed And then resolves to starve it. V. With wicked mind, into a wood He then the infant carries; And tho' he would not shed her blood, Yet there alive he buries Within a hollow oaken tree; He stop'd the mouth from crying, That none might hear and come to see How the poor child was dying. VI. Then gave he out the child was dead, And did pretend some sorrow, And caus'd the shape in wax be made, To bury on the morrow; Some mourning, too, he bought beside, All to avoid suspicion, But yet, alas! this would not hide The guilt of his commission. VII. For happy fate and providence Did keep the child from dying, Whose chiefest guard was innocence, On which is best relying; For when the breath was almost spent, A gentleman did spy her, As he and 's man a hunting went And so approach'd nigh her. VIII. He took the wrong'd infant home, And to his lady gave it; Quoth he, "This child from fatal doom I happily did save it; Therefore I'll keep it as my own, Since I have none beside it; Tho' such a thing is seldom known, I will support and guide it." IX. But as the lady and her spouse Did to the neighbours show it, A woman came into the house That presently did know it. And soon discover'd all the cheat The unkle had intended, To get the poor young child's estate Who promis'd to defend it. X. The wicked unkle being seized, And charged with his transgression, His mind and conscience was so teazed, He made a full confession. The justice sent him to the jail, Where he is closely guarded, And next assizes will not fail Of being well rewarded. BOWES TRAGEDY;[141] OR, A PATTERN OF TRUE LOVE. Roger Wrightson, at the sign of the King's Head, in Bowes, in the N. R. of Yorkshire, courted widow Railton's daughter, at the sign of the George in the same town, and has done more than a year. On Shrove Tuesday, 1715, he fell sick, and languished till Sunday next but one following, and after saying three times, "Martha, Martha, come away," then died.